Apple Store shoppers can send Passbook-compatible gift cards

Shoppers can also use Siri to help them find prices.

Apple has made a couple of small-but-useful changes to its Apple Store app aimed at making shopping more efficient in its retail stores. Version 2.4 of the app lets users ask Siri for help in finding prices on Apple products. It also allows users to buy Apple gift cards (to be sent via e-mail) directly from within the app. The gift cards are now Passbook compatible, to boot.

Any Apple gift card that is purchased online and sent via e-mail—whether via the Web-based Apple Store or the iOS app—can now be loaded up via Passbook, which was launched along with iOS 6 in September. When the recipient clicks a link in the e-mail, Passbook will open to load up the details of the gift card. Then, whenever the recipient walks into an Apple Store with an iOS device, the app should bring up the gift card automatically on the user's lock screen so it can be used to make purchases.

Unfortunately, Apple gift cards that are loaded into Passbook can't be used in conjunction with the self-checkout system (EasyPay) built into the Apple Store app, so you'll have to check out with a real human if you want to use the gift card balance.

I'm guessing that at some point Apple is going to integrate full payment functionality into PassBook?

It seems that Google, if the rumors of a physical card that ties to existing credit cards is true, along with its Google Wallet app and NFC in most new Android devices has an advantage in establishing its mobile payment system at this point. This is especially true if Google leverages its integration into the overall payment transaction system to speed up NFC adoption by retailers. Apple wouldn't be able to respond with NFC payments until at least next year when the iPhone 6 comes out.

Mobile payments is going to be a huge battle going forward and I'm interested in how Apple is going to fully utilize PassBook.

So here's a question- what are the benefits of NFC versus a solution that is software only (for the customer) such as having it display the info via a barcode? It would seen the former will require extra hardware and make the devices heavier, costlier, more power hungry, and more prone to patent issues than the latter. Or, why not use bluetooth or Wifi?

I can't imagine using a google purchasing system.. there's simply nothing that isn't turned over to advertising.

A product company, like Apple or Microsoft make the money from products. Why so many bloggers here recently have been pounding out pro-advertising revenue businesses I haven't a clue. I suspect is due to direct payments from Google, Facebook etc - perhaps as 'affiliates, or sales partners'.

Apple's products cloned by advertising companies like Google are an tech segment embarrassment.

Apple's innovation here is going to be awesome. and we're committed to it.